Orkney - The Rough Guide to Scottish Highlands and Islands - page 340

Nowadays, the town is very much divided into two main focal points: the old
harbour, at the north end of the town, where visiting yachts moor and the small
interisland ferries come and go all year round; and the flagstone main street . Despite
the latter taking four different names as it winds through the town, orientation is easy
with the prominent spire of St Magnus Cathedral clearly marking the town centre.

St Magnus Cathedral
Broad St • April-Sept Mon-Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 2-5pm; Oct-March 9am-1pm & 2-5pm • Free • Guided upper level tours Tues & Thurs
11am & 2pm • £6.85 • T 01856 874894, W stmagnus.org
Standing at the very heart of Kirkwall, St Magnus Cathedral is the town's most compelling
sight. This beautiful red-sandstone building was begun in 1137 by the Orkney Earl
Rögnvald (aka St Ronald), who decided to make full use of a growing cult surrounding
the figure of his uncle Magnus, killed on the orders of his cousin Håkon in 1117 (see
p.356). When Magnus's body was buried in Birsay, a heavenly light was said to have
shone overhead, and his grave soon drew pilgrims from far afield. When Rögnvald took
over the earldom, he built the cathedral in his uncle's honour, moving the centre of
religious and secular power from Birsay to Kirkwall, before he himself was murdered.
Built using yellow sandstone from Eday and red sandstone from the Mainland,
the cathedral has been added to and extended over the centuries. Today much of the
detail in the soft sandstone has worn away - the capitals around the main doors are
reduced to artistically gnarled stumps - but it's still an immensely impressive building,
its shape and style echoing the great cathedrals of Europe. Inside, the atmosphere is
surprisingly intimate, the bulky sandstone columns drawing your eye up to the exposed
brickwork arches, while around the walls is a series of mostly seventeenth-century
tombstones, many carved with a skull and crossbones and other emblems of mortality,
alongside chilling inscriptions calling on the reader to “Remember death waits us all,
the hour none knows”.
In the square pillars on either side of the high altar, the bones of Magnus and
Rögnvald are buried. In the southeastern corner of the cathedral lies the tomb of the
Stromness-born Arctic explorer John Rae, who tried to find Sir John Franklin's
expedition; he is depicted asleep, dressed in moleskins and furs, his rifle and Bible by
his side. Beside Rae's tomb is Orkney's own Poets' Corner, with memorials to, among
others, George Mackay Brown, Eric Linklater, Edwin Muir and Robert Rendall
(who was also an eminent conchologist). Another poignant monument is the one to
the dead of HMS Royal Oak , which was torpedoed in Scapa Flow in 1939 with the loss
of 833 men (see p.347).

7

Bishop's and Earl's palaces
Palace Rd • April-Oct daily 9.30am-5.30pm • £4.50; HS • T 01856 871918
South of the cathedral are the ruined remains of the Bishop's Palace , traditional
residence of the Bishop of Orkney from the twelfth century. Here, the Norwegian king
Håkon died in 1263 on his return from the Battle of Largs. Most of what you see now,
however, dates from the time of Bishop Robert Reid, founder of Edinburgh University,
in the mid-sixteenth century. The walls still stand, as does the tall round tower housing
the bishop's private chambers. The ticket for the Bishop's Palace also covers entry to the
neighbouring Earl's Palace - better preserved and more fun to explore - built by the
infamous Earl Patrick Stewart around 1600 using forced labour. With its grand
entrance, fancy oriel windows, dank dungeons, massive fireplaces and magnificent
central hall, it has a confident solidity, and is a fine example of Scottish Renaissance
architecture. The roof is missing but many domestic details remain, including a set of
toilets and the stone shelves used by the clerk to do his filing. Earl Patrick enjoyed his
palace for only a very short time before he was imprisoned and charged with treason.